LOGIN** Jake’s POV **A minute later, the cabin door opens again. Callen steps out with far too much satisfaction written across his face. Poppy follows a second later. The moment she sees all four of us waiting, she hesitates, her steps faltering. Her gaze lands on me, then Leo. Then it drifts to Alaric
** Jake’s POV **My wolf practically whines in my head as my eyes track Poppy walking inside with Callen. Every second I spend with her makes every second away from her more difficult. “I know this is difficult,” Ryder says, pulling our attention back to him. “But for Poppy’s sake, you all need to
“Hey,” Paige says softly.“Hey,” I reply, my voice cracking. Her smile fades and her eyes narrow as she studies me. “What happened?”“Nothing, I’m okay.”Callen snorts a laugh, and I shoot him a look. “Callen, get out,” Paige orders.“Well, that’s rude.”“Out,” she demands, and he wisely retreats,
** Poppy’s POV **The door closes behind us with a soft click, and I finally take my first real breath in hours. I want to freak out. I want to shout that this isn’t supposed to be happening. But allowing myself to get worked up is not good for anyone or anything. Stuff will break, people will pani
“I was trying to figure you out,” he shrugs.“You were lurking.”Callen gasps. “Shadow boy was lurking?”Bastian’s eyes narrow. “Shadow boy?”“Oh, don’t worry,” I say. “It suits you.”For one strange moment, his expression softens. Not much, but enough that I see it. Enough that my heart skips a bea
** Poppy’s POV **The branch is still lying where it fell. I try not to look at it as we walk away, but my eyes keep finding it anyway. Split wood, torn bark, and leaves scattered across the ground as if it had exploded from the inside out. Because of me.One stupid argument. One moment when everyth
** Paige’s POV **Parker’s arms around me feel like home. Not just the pull of a bond, but something deeper, something real. With my mates, I don’t have to hide the pieces of myself I’d spent years tucking away. I can be fully me, and it’s met with warmth, not disapproval. With Greg, I became a show
I nod, but it doesn’t feel like just the bond. Something else hums under my skin, low and electric, like static buzzing in my blood.Callen bounces on his toes like he’s warming up for a boxing match, itching to take his turn. “My go. Let’s see if you can keep up with me.”“Be careful,” Parker warns
The mate bond thrums wildly between us, pulling tighter with every touch, every kiss. I know that if I had a wolf, it would be howling inside me, clawing to close the distance fully, to let him in, to seal what we’ve both been denying.When he pulls back to let me scoot further onto the bed, I stop
I push away from the table and grab my phone. There’s only one way to start getting answers.“Brandon,” I command his attention through the pack link.“Alpha?” Brandon’s voice comes through as fast as ever.To look at him, you’d never guess he was one of us. He’s small for a wolf and lacks the stren







